Brasserie Royale — Restaurant in Sterling

We have eaten here twice now and truly enjoyed the wine, food and ambiance. We had the house wine both times we came. The first time it was a Zinfandel and the second time a Riesling. Sometimes house wines in other restaurants are just okay, but both of these were very good.. We ordered the French onion soup, the escargot, Beef Burgundy (can’t spell French name🤔)Trout Amondine, creamed Spinach and Creme Brûlée. The Escargot was the best we’ve ever had both times. That buttery garlic sauce with a generous helping of crusty French bread made it an appetizer worth ordering. The Julia Child Recipe French Onion Soup was a little disappointing. It was a generous portion, but a little expensive at $12.50 and would not order it again, mainly because it really needed to have a lot more onion, and it had a very beef broth taste. There was a large piece of French bread where they had the melted cheese on top, but the bread was perhaps cut too thick and was difficult to break up with a spoon and the cheese just fell off to the bottom of the bowl. This happened on mine and my husband‘s as well. It tasted okay . it just wasn’t anything special. Both entrées were outstanding. The Trout Amondine was so fresh and the butter blanc sauce was yummy. Will definitely reorder. One thing I wish they had done was to put a little sleeve on the half lemon that was on the side because you had to get buttery fingers in order to pick it up and squeeze it onto the fish. My husband‘s beef burgundy was excellent with three or four large chunks of short ribs and he truly enjoyed it and would order it again. The side order of the Creamed Spinach tasted a little bit too salty for me and we actually didn’t finish it. For dessert, we had the crème brûlée and it was light and delicious but the brown sugar on the top was torched maybe just a little too much. We also had ordered vanilla ice cream, and that felt that it was a skimpy serving of ice cream for eight dollars even though it included a really large type of pizzelle cookie. Still, I give it five stars because we truly don’t mind spending money if it’s really good food and the food was really good. We’ll definitely be back and add this to our list of favorite...

Brasserie Royal in Leesburg is an absolute gem.

Chef Michael has created something truly special here. We’ve always been fans of his first spot, Local Provisions, but this new French restaurant takes things to another level. It’s elegant, thoughtful, and filled with heart.

During our visit, we had the chance to speak with Chef Michael himself. He shared how this concept came to life after a trip to Paris with his wife, who also happens to be the co-chef, and their daughters. He talked about how the small, simple meals from local Parisian spots left a lasting impression on him and inspired the vision for Brasserie Royal. Hearing that directly from him made the experience even more meaningful. He’s humble, experienced, and you can feel his passion in every corner of this restaurant.

The food was exceptional. We started with the Salade Royale and the Roasted Beet Salad, both of which were fresh, well-balanced, and beautifully plated.

For our main courses, we had the roasted chicken, halibut with pomme purée and mushroom jus, and the house-made ravioli. Every dish was rich in flavor, cooked with care, and absolutely satisfying. The potato gratin was creamy and crisp, and the fries with gruyère were some of the best I’ve ever had.

We finished with every dessert on the menu. The crème brûlée was classic and perfect. The profiteroles were rich, airy, and covered in decadent chocolate sauce. But the showstopper was the Vacherin Glacé – a gorgeous dessert made with lavender meringue, Chantilly cream, and strawberry coulis. It was light, floral, and unforgettable.

Everything about Brasserie Royal feels intentional – the ambiance, the hospitality, the way the food is served, even the plateware. It’s elevated but still welcoming, and every detail adds to the experience.

If you’re in the Leesburg area, I highly recommend making a reservation here. And if you can’t get a table, try Chef Michael’s first restaurant next door, Local Provisions. You won’t be disappointed either way.

This place is the real deal. We’ll...

We really wanted to love this restaurant but just can’t get anywhere close. We are big fans of their sister restaurant (Local Provisions) and were so excited to try this place. The good: the ‘Bond’ Vesper was fantastic and a perfect cocktail for someone who doesn’t like anything too sweet. The Crème Brûlée was delicious and plenty big enough for two of us to share. The ambiance is great - gorgeous restaurant! Now to the rest of the meal. We ordered the Steak Frites and the Steak Au Poivre with the Pommes Puree. For the first dish, the steak was chewy and under seasoned and the herb butter added nothing to the taste - I’m pretty sure it was simply unsalted butter and parsley and did not compliment the fattiness of the steak at all. I’d asked for bernaise sauce but our waiter didn’t know what that was and apparently they only have that for brunch. The ‘frites’ were fat and under cooked - nothing that you would ever find in France and, despite ordering the ‘garlic herb’ version they had no flavour. The second dish arrived over cooked (we’d ordered it medium rare and it was gray throughout) so they brought us a new one. In between, they brought out a bread basket. If you’ve ever been to France, or to a good French restaurant, you’ll know that a baguette should be crispy and leave a trail of crumbs behind it. This was the exact opposite - chewy and dense. When the new steak arrived it was cooked a little less than the previous one. The steak sauce was, for lack of a better word, soapy. I simply don’t know how else to explain it. The pommes puree reminded us of microwaveable mashed potatoes. At the end of the meal, with two cocktails, two entrees and one desert, our meal was just under $200. I don’t often write reviews, and really want to root for new restaurants, even if it’s not the most amazing meal at the beginning, but this meal was just so disappointing that I couldn’t...